Charlie Sheen’s recent interview in which he calls Alcoholics Anonymous a “cult”, saying it’s “outdated” and followed by “stupid people” is the angry rant of someone who’s out of touch with reality, but that’s not to say he doesn’t have a point. As for the organization being a cult, well, it’s based on the writings of Bill Wilson, a charismatic drunk who claims to have seen God while on the hallucinogen, belladonna, then created a system of sobriety based on the magic number “12” which says that in order for a true alcoholic become sober, he or she must join the group, submit to a Higher Power, and can never be cured and therefore never leave. “Outdated”? The Big Book of AA was written 75 years ago before most research into addiction was done, yet is still read and followed like the Bible by members.

But “stupid people”? If it’s a choice between an outdated cult — even a flawed one — that’s full of people from all socio-economic levels that will go out of their way to help you overcome addiction, or else getting arrested and/or losing one’s job, family and health, I vote cult.